Jim Kontio knows what it’s like to lose. After he and his wife Meganne married, the couple quickly decided that they wanted a baby. They were both older, Kontio says, and realized that they were running out of time. What seemed tough in the beginning became tougher as Kontio’s wife suffered from several complications, was […]
Amanda Robert
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Shimkus faces tough choice on carbon
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, stopped in Springfield last week, and as expected, carbon was his hot topic. Shimkus, a 12-year member of the House energy and commerce committee, told the Citizens Club of Springfield that while he opposes both cap-and-trade legislation and a carbon tax, he favors the latter over the former. A cap-and-trade […]
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Obama sees green
Illinois environmental advocates say that as President Barack Obama goes green, so will the state’s bank account. In a report released last week, Environment Illinois, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization, announced that new initiatives in Obama’s proposed fiscal year 2010 budget could inject at least $29 billion into the state over the next 10 years. […]
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Channel 8 goes blank for some WSEC viewers
As of April 22, basic and standard Comcast cable subscribers found nothing but a blank screen on channel 8 — the former analog home of WSEC/PBS Springfield. The local station went digital, requiring patrons to sign up for digital cable service or install compatible equipment in order to view its programs. Dr. Jerold Gruebel, the […]
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Local nonprofit ready to donate brand-new books
Before Nöel Scott became a stay-at-home mom, she worked as an early childhood teacher with the local Early Start program. She taught mostly low-income kids and was astounded to see them holding books upside-down or paging through books backward. “Those were things I learned about when becoming a teacher, but I didn’t think I would […]
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Alderman objects to tactics aimed at hiring minority police
Ward 8 Ald. Kris Theilen says it’s not about race — it’s about being the best of the best. Theilen recently told Illinois Times that he’s disgruntled over the Davlin administration’s decision to start new police patrol officer testing when there are 20 candidates left in the highest-ranked band after the last round of tests, […]
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City council still searching for money to fix streets
It’s been five months since the city of Springfield created a subcommittee on infrastructure and began asking residents for input on crumbling sidewalks and streets, but aldermen are still unsure about which areas need the most attention and how the fixes will be funded. Public works director Mike Norris recently told the subcommittee that the […]
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Support the troops
On March 19, the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war, Adjutant General William Enyart asked Illinoisans to reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve in the Illinois National Guard. “While opinions on the war may vary, what we cannot question is the sense of duty, honor and selfless service each […]
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High-tech healthcare
The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine has long been the heart of healthcare in the central Illinois region, and now thanks to über-modern medicine, it’s circulating lifelines to hospitals in every corner of the state. Since 2001, SIU has synchronized its videoconference system with 149 clinics and hospitals. The school’s staff facilitates the transmission […]
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Junior lobbyists revved up to decrease tailpipe emissions
Julien and Liam Mathie, 10- and 9-year-old brothers from the western Chicago suburb of La Grange Park, woke up at 5 a.m., put on suits and ties, and drove to Springfield with their parents last Wednesday to promote the Clean Cars Act. It was the second time the junior lobbyists — considered “pros” by Environment […]
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Conns speak out: TIF process needs overhaul
Karen Conn’s voice takes on a buoyant tone as she describes the future of the Maisenbacher House, or what she and her husband Court loyally call the Lindsay House. Now parked in its final resting place at 503 S. Seventh St., the 19th-century brick home, constructed by Isaac Lindsay with $650 borrowed from Abraham Lincoln, […]
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Women helping women, here and around the world
In 2006, LaVern McNeese initiated the Springfield chapter of Priscilla’s Lost and Found, a faith-based mentoring program for women that serves just six other cities in the nation. Since then, she said, she’s seen so many women “who just don’t know what to do.” These women suffer from alcohol abuse, drug use, depression — and […]
